Mr and Mrs K's New Journey to a Debt Free Life.

AlexLK

maman wrote: »

Yes, they are traditionally made of clay but the plastic ones are very popular (and cheap) in primary schools.

LittleK sounds quite the child prodigy. Nicola Benedetti eat your heart out!!;)

Haven't heard much of the parents lately Alex. Are they well? Are you still all up for he weekly beef?

I will have to look out for an ocarina group when son goes to school, playing music with someone other than me would be good and I don't suppose it'd really be suitable for most at a nursery level to suggest to staff there?

:rotfl: I wouldn't go that far, we play violin and piano most days together but only when he wants to (which seems to be LOTS at the moment). I'm not sure he'd be making the progress he is had he unmusical parents but wife thinks he's some little Mozart.

My parents are both well at the moment, fortunately and yes, we still go there for Sunday lunch but they are not looking after our son very often as of late for personal reasons. They currently think it would be a good idea for Mrs. K. and I to move in with them :eek:, no I don't fancy it either but reckon it's only a matter of time before we end up there.

LondonGal wrote: »

Most musical instruments are worth the initial pain for the end gain. So many adults regret not keeping up playing, especially the piano. Ocarinas can sound great!

On the debt front well done. I know someone who left here to go to another forum which was all about debt, and they've ended up in a terrible state due to the webmaster threatening them after a disagreement, really appalling stuff.

I have a pupil like that who has started again with piano.

Getting there with the debts but not convinced we'll manage to stay entirely debt free in the future, we have slipped back into old habits as of late. I've no access to money hence my current "frugal ways".

heartbreak_star wrote: »

I haven't played for a while - and I'm not very good - but I love my ocarina, it's a clay one

Thank you for the compliment Alex, I'm a bit of a jack of all trades and master of none though! The only thing I've proved myself fairly good at is cheer/coaching!

Glad you and Mrs K. have managed to have a good talk, it's a hard thing to do but it does clear the air a bit. Hope you manage to find a school you can agree on!

Aw bless Little K. He sounds better at the violin than I was mind you - Mum used to make me practise in the shed...

HBS x

Not very good or otherwise, I'll be coming to you for advice if son brings one home from school one day.

As for being a "jack of all trades", that's me. Not "good" at anything but can "do" a fair amount of things to varying standards.

Mrs. K. is not really in a very good place at the moment with the whole job situation. As for schools, nothing is final and I think there is no one solution after all this investigating, it's a nightmare in all honesty.

:rotfl: I had to close the music room door often, you aren't the only one whose parents had moments of frustration.

heartbreak_star

I think maybe the ocarina is something I picked up as it's a bit quirky and I used to play descant and tenor recorders in the school band If I can offer advice I will, however.

It took me many years to realise that being fairly good at loads of things is actually a strength, not a weakness. Some of my schoolfriends got A*s in their GCSEs...but they also got Ds and a couple of fails. I got As and Bs (oh, alright, and a C in German ) across the board...nothing exceptional, but nothing low either!

I wonder whether Mrs K.'s sudden return to spending is to do with her job situation?

HBS x

boo2410

Evening Alex, hope your day had been good.

Regarding schools, my only concern with tiny schools (and I thought my boys school was small) would be that the closed or merged if the number of children dropped. There was talk of this at sons school last year but it's gone a bit quiet now, hopefully it will stay that way.

Back to the ocarina, the kids seem to love it at school and they are a bit like a recorder I suppose sound wise. I am totally not musical, which is a shame as I love music (my Mum used to call me tone deaf!!!), however my sister plays the flute, clarinet etc. with high grades and she loved the Ocarina. I've always been a bit jealous of her actually as she can pick up loads of different instruments and just play AND she can hear a tune on he radio and then just play it, it's all I can do to remember who sang/played it

cazmanian_minx

AlexLK wrote: »

As for ocarina playing, I don't play it myself and have never actually heard it being played but it likely sounds better than beginner strings.

Bet you have Do you know the theme tune to The Good, The Bad and The Ugly? Oo-ee-oo-ee-oooo wah-wahh-waaaaaaah etc.? The oo-ee-oo-ee-oooooo bit is an ocarina and it happens to be a friend of mine playing it on that particular recording - he did an awful lot of soundtracks around that period. There's also an absolutely amazing recording of him playing the Mercadante E minor flute concerto on an ocarina, but that's a lot harder to track down.

maman

AlexLK wrote: »

I will have to look out for an ocarina group when son goes to school, playing music with someone other than me would be good and I don't suppose it'd really be suitable for most at a nursery level to suggest to staff there?


My parents are both well at the moment, fortunately and yes, we still go there for Sunday lunch but they are not looking after our son very often as of late for personal reasons. They currently think it would be a good idea for Mrs. K. and I to move in with them :eek:, no I don't fancy it either but reckon it's only a matter of time before we end up there.


Getting there with the debts but not convinced we'll manage to stay entirely debt free in the future, we have slipped back into old habits as of late.

Interesting posts about ocarinas. It might be a fun gift for LittleK some time. Another string to his bow so to speak.;)


Do your parents need you to move in for caring reasons? Is that why you can see yourselves ending up there?


How can you have slipped into old habits if you haven't any money? What are you spending on? Tend to agree that MrsK is probably feeling like retail therapy as she's feeling down but don't need to remind you that you need to get going on the debt busting again.

LondonGal

FWIW I've slipped twice, but this time seem to be coming out of things gradually. It's a VERY long, hard slog for us and we may be made BK first. However, we have nothing on credit now, don't want Prov or anything like that, just buy it if we have the money spare to do so. I'm sure this will last this time as we're both of the same mindset.

Don't kick yourself for slipping, but stop the slippage before it causes too many more problems which will only haunt you in the future.

AlexLK

heartbreak_star wrote: »

I think maybe the ocarina is something I picked up as it's a bit quirky and I used to play descant and tenor recorders in the school band If I can offer advice I will, however.

It took me many years to realise that being fairly good at loads of things is actually a strength, not a weakness. Some of my schoolfriends got A*s in their GCSEs...but they also got Ds and a couple of fails. I got As and Bs (oh, alright, and a C in German ) across the board...nothing exceptional, but nothing low either!

I wonder whether Mrs K.'s sudden return to spending is to do with her job situation?

HBS x

Thanks, we did recorder at school when we were about 6 or so, I hated it as I didn't see it as a "proper instrument" (already played violin and piano), realised otherwise when I went to university. I may just take you up on that offer of some advice should son come across an ocarina.

I did very well at school and in university, though some subjects were much harder than others.

Mrs. K. has had a particularly difficult day at work today and has more or less made up her mind she needs a new start somewhere else.

boo2410 wrote: »

Evening Alex, hope your day had been good.

Regarding schools, my only concern with tiny schools (and I thought my boys school was small) would be that the closed or merged if the number of children dropped. There was talk of this at sons school last year but it's gone a bit quiet now, hopefully it will stay that way.

Back to the ocarina, the kids seem to love it at school and they are a bit like a recorder I suppose sound wise. I am totally not musical, which is a shame as I love music (my Mum used to call me tone deaf!!!), however my sister plays the flute, clarinet etc. with high grades and she loved the Ocarina. I've always been a bit jealous of her actually as she can pick up loads of different instruments and just play AND she can hear a tune on he radio and then just play it, it's all I can do to remember who sang/played it

Evening Boo,

I've actually had a nice (but somewhat odd) day.

We have not looked into the village schools enough to know whether they are under the threat of being closed. However, there are lots of very small primary schools in the local area. Not sure if this is a myth but one apparently has 7 children.

I'm sure you are not tone deaf, that is actually very rare, perhaps you are just not a very "natural" musician? I cannot play by ear at all.

cazmanian_minx wrote: »

Bet you have Do you know the theme tune to The Good, The Bad and The Ugly? Oo-ee-oo-ee-oooo wah-wahh-waaaaaaah etc.? The oo-ee-oo-ee-oooooo bit is an ocarina and it happens to be a friend of mine playing it on that particular recording - he did an awful lot of soundtracks around that period. There's also an absolutely amazing recording of him playing the Mercadante E minor flute concerto on an ocarina, but that's a lot harder to track down.

:rotfl: Didn't realise that was an ocarina, learn something new everyday.

Did you sell your flute in the end or decide to keep it?

AlexLK

maman wrote: »

Interesting posts about ocarinas. It might be a fun gift for LittleK some time. Another string to his bow so to speak.;)

Do your parents need you to move in for caring reasons? Is that why you can see yourselves ending up there?

How can you have slipped into old habits if you haven't any money? What are you spending on? Tend to agree that MrsK is probably feeling like retail therapy as she's feeling down but don't need to remind you that you need to get going on the debt busting again.

An ocarina would be a nice gift for my son but one I think we will leave until he's a bit older, say 5? Two instruments are quite enough at the moment.

My parents don't need us for any other reason than loneliness. As for why I can see us ending up there it's more to do with keeping them happy than anything at the moment, it has been agreed if either of them ever need full time care they will have a professional come into the house.

I am not personally spending anything but I am spending with my wife at weekends, we have got into the old habit of weekend shopping, so I suppose I'm encouraging it. Also, I've booked a weekend away for us. On the debt busting, I've got a few things on eBay at the moment.

LondonGal wrote: »

FWIW I've slipped twice, but this time seem to be coming out of things gradually. It's a VERY long, hard slog for us and we may be made BK first. However, we have nothing on credit now, don't want Prov or anything like that, just buy it if we have the money spare to do so. I'm sure this will last this time as we're both of the same mindset.

Don't kick yourself for slipping, but stop the slippage before it causes too many more problems which will only haunt you in the future.

We have been talking about money these past few days and for the first time in a while she seems open to listening to what I've got to say.

cazmanian_minx

AlexLK wrote: »

:rotfl: Didn't realise that was an ocarina, learn something new everyday.

Did you sell your flute in the end or decide to keep it?

The highest offer I got was £1250 and I think it's actually probably worth more than that as scrap silver! The listing ended yesterday and I haven't relisted it, put it that way.

AlexLK

cazmanian_minx wrote: »

The highest offer I got was £1250 and I think it's actually probably worth more than that as scrap silver! The listing ended yesterday and I haven't relisted it, put it that way.

I don't know anything about flutes, I'm afraid but I hope you continue to enjoy it and perhaps start playing it a little more.

Were you a professional at some point?